But Jeff was confident. OK--we didn't get out--OK? A nurse was present to monitor his condition. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. One of George Bumb Sr.'s granddaughters explained to police that her family was very old-fashioned: "The woman gets the short end of the deal; she is a whore. As a compromise of sorts, he was debating whether he should apply for a license as a gaming-club manager instead of as an owner. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. "He worked for me." ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. "I liked my name," he maintains. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. He can't ignore it. Christopher Gardner "My issue with [George Bumb Sr.]," Jeff Bumb complains about his father, "was his control of where you lived, what kind of house you bought, where your children went to school, who your friends are, whether your children went to college, who they would marry, what kind of wedding they would have." Jeff Bumb says he believes that state and local investigators at the time of Bay 101's limbo were investigating a rumor that Jeff had tried to get someone killed, a charge Jeff denies. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. He asked longtime family attorney Ron Werner if his brothers could write a recommendation letter for him, something state officials had told him he would need to be considered eligible for a gaming license. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. Christopher Gardner And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. According to Werner, molestation of his daughter became part of a laundry list of damning things Jeff threatened to disclose if his buy-out demands weren't met. Tim and George Jr. worried that pressuring state and city officials to deal Jeff back in at Bay 101 would backfire and authorities would close down the card room. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. "We made it very clear to Jeff and everybody else concerned," Tim says, "that I'm not going to stick my neck on the line here. But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. On March 17, 1993, the City Council gave Bumb and his partners the green light to open a 40-table card room on a 10-acre plot of land off U.S 101. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. You know the school we went to?" Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. "He worked for me." "It's a very strong family. At one point in the investigation, sheriff's detectives had Jeff's daughter call Matthew while he was working at the Flea Market to confirm the sexual activities. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Christopher Gardner Tim Bumb says writing a letter on Jeff's behalf would have violated the agreement with the police chief and put the club in jeopardy. In response to Jeff's legal attacks, George Bumb Sr. and Bumb & Associates filed two separate suits of their own to collect nearly $1 million in loans and interest they claimed Jeff never paid. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. It's like we had no life except for the family." In February 1994, nearly one year after the San Jose City Council gave Bay 101 its blessing, the state denied the Bumbs and their partners' gaming license application. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. I'm on the hook for $15 million. The gambling palace Jeff Bumb--the oldest son who is often described as the most entrepreneurial of the four brothers--had in mind was going to take a lot of effort and political skill. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. "They didn't teach anything about this. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. George Bumb Sr.'s loan-repayment demands came in July 1996, just as his oldest son and his wife were about to move to Los Gatos and break away from the family and its eastside enclave. "They didn't teach anything about this. Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. Jeff Bumb remembers that when he was going to school at Bellarmine in the '60s, the other kids would call him things like "Bumbsy" or "Bumbo." "They didn't teach anything about this. The Bumbs' reputation as an unconventional, insular, wealthy, large brood keeps tongues in political circles flapping. The air conditioning is on, but beads of sweat surface on Bumb's forehead, between a pair of fierce-looking blue eyes and a receding blonde hairline. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. Hamilton, where Latin mass is conducted on a regular basis. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. As we do our drive-by on a Tuesday midmorning, there are more than 100 cars in the parking lot. The only reason we are driving around in his Lexus today is because he knows I have read the bizarre and bitter contents of a 2-foot-high stack of documents down at the Santa Clara County Superior Courthouse. Christopher Gardner On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Other allegations were more dubious: Investigators chased after a tip that the Bumbs were skimming cash from the Flea Market parking lot, an accusation that was never proven. You think this didn't break my heart?" But Jeff and his family started hearing that instead of showing concern and support for his daughter, George Bumb Sr. and others in the family were blaming his freshman daughter for the incident and not her adult-age cousin. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. The gambling palace Jeff Bumb--the oldest son who is often described as the most entrepreneurial of the four brothers--had in mind was going to take a lot of effort and political skill. Hamilton, where Latin mass is conducted on a regular basis. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) "He worked for me." Address: 10340 Anderson Rd San Jose, CA, 95127. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. Whenever trouble arose at the Flea Market with city code or building inspectors, the Bumbs sent Jeff to settle things. "It made you tough, made you get a thick skin." So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. Don't Shoot: George Bumb Sr., the publicity-shy patriarch of the Bumb family and creator of the Flea Market, in a rare photo which appeared in California Today magazine in 1980. When family patriarch and Flea Market mastermind George Bumb Sr. was invited to attend a party with President Clinton in San Francisco a couple of years ago, he refused to go and sent his community relations specialist, Betsy Bryant, instead. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. The court saga evolved into a battle of wills between a father--a man who wouldn't even let the Vatican tell him what to do--and his oldest son, determined to break free from the old man's grasp. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. Realizing that, Jeff offered to pay higher card-room taxes (next year the city expects to collect $4.5 million from Bay 101) and pick up the tab for security. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. A blue knit polo shirt covers his stocky 52-year-old frame. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. In fact, on the day he was arrested, records show that Venzon pawned a 14-karat-gold diamond cluster ring and a ladies' gold tennis bracelet for a total of $298 at American Precious Metals, a jewelry store at the Flea Market run by Joseph Bumb. George Bumb Sr.'s loan-repayment demands came in July 1996, just as his oldest son and his wife were about to move to Los Gatos and break away from the family and its eastside enclave. Tim and George, under pressure from then Police Chief Lou Cobarruviaz, had already signed an agreement a year earlier that prohibited Brian, Jeff and their father from having anything to do with the card room. Don't Shoot: George Bumb Sr., the publicity-shy patriarch of the Bumb family and creator of the Flea Market, in a rare photo which appeared in California Today magazine in 1980. Eight days after the molestation incident was reported to police--and one day after Jeff Bumb formally refused his father's $6.9 million buyout offer--George Bumb Sr. sent Jeff a curt typewritten memo informing Jeff that he was terminated effective immediately and had to clean out his desk before 5pm. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Well, guess what? You think this didn't break my heart?" As a compromise of sorts, he was debating whether he should apply for a license as a gaming-club manager instead of as an owner. Campaign records show that Bumb & Associates and Bay 101 have made at least $587,000 in campaign donations since 1994 to local and state politicians and ballot measures. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. But he didn't cash out. Christopher Gardner The day before, Monday at noon, half of the club's tables were full of gamblers playing seven card stud, Omaha and Texas Hold 'Em. Jeff Bumb says he believes that state and local investigators at the time of Bay 101's limbo were investigating a rumor that Jeff had tried to get someone killed, a charge Jeff denies. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. Christopher Gardner Police reports would suggest she had, "for about a year," been giving "blow jobs" to 19-year-old Matthew Bumb, son of George Bumb Jr. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.)